Platinum Seeks an Agency

Info-Tech Software Maker Looks to Raise Its Profile CHICAGO--Platinum Technology, a company that provides software products and consulting services in the information technology field, is contacting agencies about creative duties on its estimated $10 million business-to-business advertising account. Among the agencies contacted by the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based company are San Francisco shops Young & Rubicam and Arnold Ingalls Moranville, and SicolaMartin in Austin, Texas, said Tom Russell, Platinum Technology's director of advertising and promotion. The company has contacted two other agencies in the West or Southwest, Russell said. He declined to name them, and said they have not yet decided whether to participate in the review. Russell declined to comment on billings, but sources estimated the print-only account would bill $10 million in its first year. Platinum Technology spent $3.4 million on measured consumer advertising in 1997, according to Competitive Media Reporting. The company is looking for an agency with high-tech experience to "build a brand in an increasingly crowded field," Russell said. "We're really seeking to make a name for ourselves." Platinum helps companies manage and improve their information technology infrastructure with software and consulting services. Its target clients are the world's 10,000 largest companies, Russell said. The company has no incumbent ad agency. Rapp Collins Worldwide in Chicago has handled promotions. Media buying is expected to remain with Carat-Freeman, Newton, Mass., Russell said. Platinum expects to select an agency in March, he said. The company, which was founded in 1987, had revenues of $739 million in 1997. It has formed partnerships with Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Oracle and SAPF. Its clients include AT&T, Sony and Nike.

Info-Tech Software Maker Looks to Raise Its Profile CHICAGO--Platinum Technology, a company that provides software products and consulting services in the information technology field, is contacting agencies about creative duties on its estimated $10 million business-to-business advertising account. Among the agencies contacted by the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based company are San Francisco shops Young & Rubicam and Arnold Ingalls Moranville, and SicolaMartin in Austin, Texas, said Tom Russell, Platinum Technology's director of advertising and promotion. The company has contacted two other agencies in the West or Southwest, Russell said. He declined to name them, and said they have not yet decided whether to participate in the review. Russell declined to comment on billings, but sources estimated the print-only account would bill $10 million in its first year. Platinum Technology spent $3.4 million on measured consumer advertising in 1997, according to Competitive Media Reporting. The company is looking for an agency with high-tech experience to "build a brand in an increasingly crowded field," Russell said. "We're really seeking to make a name for ourselves." Platinum helps companies manage and improve their information technology infrastructure with software and consulting services. Its target clients are the world's 10,000 largest companies, Russell said. The company has no incumbent ad agency. Rapp Collins Worldwide in Chicago has handled promotions. Media buying is expected to remain with Carat-Freeman, Newton, Mass., Russell said. Platinum expects to select an agency in March, he said. The company, which was founded in 1987, had revenues of $739 million in 1997. It has formed partnerships with Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Oracle and SAPF. Its clients include AT&T, Sony and Nike.